What are the 5 best and worst things about TCD?

straight_As

Ok, as the title would suggest, I'm wondering what are the 5 best and worst aspects of TCD IN GENERAL? I'm not looking for course specifics.

Epic Tissue

+ Nice campus
+ Not too large so walking around it isn't a pain
+ Nice lecture theatres
+ Good facilities (guess this depends on your course though)
+ Exams, timetables etc were organised well

- Exams (lol) It's not modularised. So main exam at the end of the year. This could be different in different courses, I'm not sure. I think it's changing in 09/10
- If it's lashing rain there is no overhead cover if you're walking to polar ends of the campus.
- Wifi can be crap sometimes but was never a real problem
- If you don't have a laptop it could be hard getting a pc during busy periods (exam times)
- Libraries are full during busy times

Awayindahils

Epic Tissue wrote: »

- Exams (lol) It's not modularised. So main exam at the end of the year. This could be different in different courses, I'm not sure. I think it's changing in 09/10

Nope the main exams will still be at the end of the year.

Heffo

Good:
- excellent lecturers (though depends on the course)
- a surprisingly fantastic international reputation
- nice campus in a great city-centre location
- more of a 'university' atmosphere than other Irish universities (UCD Dublin)
- the Pav

Bad:
- administration is quite retarded
- sports facilities aren't the best (Santry)
- generally old-fashioned in many respects (this is good and bad, though mostly bad. For example: no online exam schedules)
- the printers in the arts block
- can be quite cliquey, with annoying groups such as Team England at large

Heffo

Heffo wrote: »

Bad:
- administration is quite retarded
- sports facilities aren't the best (Santry)
- generally old-fashioned in many respects (this is good and bad, though mostly bad. For example: no online exam schedules)
- the printers in the arts block
- can be quite cliquey, with annoying groups such as Team England at large

- its excellent in comparison to a lot of colleges
- fair point
- www.tcd.ie/local , has the scheds for annual exams and your department will post the term exams. If you aren't able to copy down 7 lines from a board, then college is not the place for you
- they are rubbish!
- totally over blown point

Heffo

Deleted User wrote: »

- its excellent in comparison to a lot of colleges
- fair point
- www.tcd.ie/local , has the scheds for annual exams and your department will post the term exams. If you aren't able to copy down 7 lines from a board, then college is not the place for you
- they are rubbish!
- totally over blown point

Well, this must be a recent development. I've been on Erasmus this year, and last year we (i.e., from Law) definitely had to take down our schedules by hand.

Anyway, it was just given as an example for some of the small ineptitudes at College. How could they have never have just put the PDF schedules online?

Running Bing

+International reputation is excellent
+Real old world university feel. In general the atmosphere of Trinity is really nice and I love the quaint tradition that goes with a lot of things.
+Renowned lecturers in many subjects
+Stunning Campus and having town on your doorstep is great. So convenient for everything.
+New Gym facilities are fantastic

-Can be cliquey at times. I do think the point is overblown a bit but it is there.
-Have to go to Santry for Football and certain other sports which is a pain.
-Can be hard to find a computer during busy times
-Computer facilities we're on the blink quite a lot in the second half of last year...lots not working and printers acting up. Have to say it was not a huge problem during my time there but it was quite annoying this term.
-One big exam at the end of the year can be a killer........never as bad as you think though (a whole year of college work to revise can seem daunting)



On the whole I loved my time at Trinity. I really believe it is the best University in the country and its pretty unique here. Add in the location and its reputation and I really would not have gone anywhere else. Looking at that the negatives are quite niggly as well.....Id definately recommend it.

wesclark

-location
-beauty
-best academics
-best students
-the pav (UCD student bar encourages normal people to act like US cretins)



-college PCs (I could understand having few, but that 30% of them don't work is enfuriating)
-library opening hours
-I'd prefer if term started 2 weeks earlier and finished 2 weeks earlier
-failure to buck the international trend of treating undergrads as a necessary evil. Every student needs exposure to at least one Sean Barrett lecture (I'm sure there are similar characters in other departments) and not just lecturers reading from a script. Also real broad curriculum stuff should be introduced (ie not "Basic history for economists" as I took, but something synergetic like "Psychological research methods for social scientists")

Epic Tissue

Awayindahils wrote: »

Nope the main exams will still be at the end of the year.

Oh really? So what's changing then?

Heffo wrote: »

- generally old-fashioned in many respects (this is good and bad, though mostly bad. For example: no online exam schedules)

My exam timetables were online :cool:

Oh yeah, can't believe I forgot location as a positive!:rolleyes::)

Heffo

Heffo wrote: »

Well, this must be a recent development. I've been on Erasmus this year, and last year we (i.e., from Law) definitely had to take down our schedules by hand.

Anyway, it was just given as an example for some of the small ineptitudes at College. How could they have never have just put the PDF schedules online?

Changed last year due to pressure from the SU.

Flamed Diving

Whats the talent like? I'm starting in Sept and I'm free and available! Woo hoo!

Flamed Diving

Flamed Diving wrote: »

Whats the talent like? I'm starting in Sept and I'm free and available! Woo hoo!

Excellent

wesclark

Deleted User wrote: »

Excellent

Well, if you're in the Hamilton choice will be limited. In the Arts block stocks are more plentiful but BESS boys seem to have very limited success overall pulling BESS girls (they are on a Sex in the City, Destiny's Child buzz that doesn't lend itself to sleeping around)

Your best chance is a girl from outside the Pale if you are looking to score on a night out. Or being "emotionally available" and working towards getting a girlfriend over a number of weeks with the possible "friend zone" trap.

wesclark

wesclark wrote: »

Well, if you're in the Hamilton choice will be limited. In the Arts block stocks are more plentiful but BESS boys seem to have very limited success overall pulling BESS girls (they are on a Sex in the City, Destiny's Child buzz that doesn't lend itself to sleeping around)

Your best chance is a girl from outside the Pale if you are looking to score on a night out. Or being "emotionally available" and working towards getting a girlfriend over a number of weeks with the possible "friend zone" trap.

Flamed Diving will be an Arts Blocker, and there are more courses then BESS wesclark!

Awayindahils

Epic Tissue wrote: »

Oh really? So what's changing then?

Trinity is Semesterising. There will be two long terms. One starting in mid September, the other in January and there will be a study break for some of what was Trinity term.

During each Semester students will take 30ects worth of credits or there abouts to make the 60 credits needed to complete and undergraduate year. However while Trinity is modularising in the sense that a course should be covered in a semster or one half of a course, there will be no major set of exams at the end of the term. It was felt that S&M would be less popular if there were going to be more exams. Also exams are quite expensive to run. So Trinity is only half modularising as such.

Jonathan

+ Well kept grounds + campus
+ Muesum Building
+ City Centre location
+ Brand new sports centre
+ Excellent computer facilities - if you know how to fully use them - External proxies, Remote file access etc..
+ Library
+ Starting college in October

- TCDwifi
- Arts Block Girls
- Computer room pcs are loaded with junk. Eg iTunes.
- People assume you are loaded/snobby cause you go to TCD

dreamr

+ Su shop (cheap chocolate!!)
+ Pav
+ societies
+ location
+ one of the top colleges in world

- arts block apple computers
- girls toliets
- library policy about borrowing books (Super fine.. )
- cobbles are v slippy when wet
- no enterance on north side, only at front arch and now gym. v annoying. :mad:

kowloon

jmccrohan wrote: »

+ Well kept grounds + campus
+ Muesum Building
+ City Centre location
+ Brand new sports centre
+ Excellent computer facilities - if you know how to fully use them - External proxies, Remote file access etc..
+ Library
+ Starting college in October

- TCDwifi
- Arts Block Girls
- Computer room pcs are loaded with junk. Eg iTunes.
- People assume you are loaded/snobby cause you go to TCD

Kind of invalidates the rest.
What's wrong with the girls?

Jonathan

kowloon wrote: »

Kind of invalidates the rest.

How so?

ApeXaviour

dreamr wrote: »

+ Su shop (cheap chocolate!!)
- no enterance on north side, only at front arch and now gym. v annoying. :mad:

There are actually 3 separate entrances that students can access on Pearse st (5 in total). There's the main one, the CRANN entrance. Then there's a swipe gate opposite O'Neill's, lets you in behind engineering buildings, beside the college health service, it swipes green most of the time. Also there's the car entrance opposite the garda station that's open between (I think) 8am-10am, and 16:30-18-30. The other two are a staff door and a delivery entrance (technically on College st).

Also for any smart alecs, I'm aware there are also numerous uninteresting doors some can exit via.

Also the gate across the road from Doyles is often open as well

Flamed Diving

yay! I cant wait to get up there!

ApeXaviour

Deleted User wrote: »

Also the gate across the road from Doyles is often open as well

That's the delivery entrance on college st

Degsy

Pros:The best Librarian in the universe.

Cons:See above.

ilovemybrick

Flamed Diving wrote: »

yay! I cant wait to get up there!

I cant wait to get back.

1. The Campus - to include location,tunnels and the pav
2. Societies (ducomedy.com)
3. The Prestige of being in the best University in the country
4. The people you will meet - both lecturers, students and those people who are just around all the time
5. Campus living

1. The inability/disinclination of administration to help any sort of student activity on campus
2. The loss of the buttery
3. Some of the people you will meet
4. The apathy and lack of understanding of the majority of the student body when it comes to representation in the University
5. The fact that other colleges seem to think that we assume our own superiority.

Économiste Monétaire

ilovemybrick wrote: »

3.The Prestige of being in the best University in the country

5.The fact that other colleges seem to think that we assume our own superiority.

Just thought I'd point out the amusing irony of those two.

ApeXaviour

All I can say to that is the ever so trite: lol

ilovemybrick

UCD_Econ wrote: »

Just thought I'd point out the amusing irony of those two.

There is a difference between the university being the best university in the country link and the assumptions people make about us.

ApeXaviour

The assumption that we assume our own authority?

ilovemybrick

ApeXaviour wrote: »

The assumption that we assume our own authority?

yeah. why not? we couldnt have anyone assuming anything else could we now.

My point is just based on when the society im involved in went to the national society awards we were subject to a whole load of semi-serious abuse because of the college we were representing and in the end were judged on a different scale to other colleges/universities.

Jonathan

ilovemybrick wrote: »

My point is just based on when the society im involved in went to the national society awards we were subject to a whole load of semi-serious abuse because of the college we were representing and in the end were judged on a different scale to other colleges/universities.

Maybe it was just for the laugh*

*assuming you are talking about the soc in your sig

ilovemybrick

jmccrohan wrote: »

Maybe it was just for the laugh*

*assuming you are talking about the soc in your sig

groan

Jonathan

ilovemybrick wrote: »

groan

What I mean is that most comedians these days seem to just pick on a group or minority in society and make fun of them for their gain.

Maybe you were just that group on the butt of all the jokes. I doubt there was major seriousness in the jibes.. maybe just came across that way when you were constantly on the end of them

wesclark

I remember at the Smedias after 2 awards had been presented, and neither had been won by TCD, the MC said "Don't worry Trinity, you don't have to be first for everything" and the crowd emited a collective Nelson Muntz-esque "haha".

Irish people traditionally denegrate achievement if it is judged to be flashy or obnoxious (essentially a firm collective belief in the concept of hubris). The founding ideology of the state is that we were all meant to be happy in our nationhood of "comely maidens on hillsides", and there was limited desire to shake up the economic order to enrich ourselves until at least the 60s. We may have been a nation of socialists if it wasn't for the catholic church.

But modern mass media has created a new trend to seek to emulate the lives of wives of successful Dublin solicitors/footballers/entrepreneurs, and this is a coexisting aspect of how modern Irish people see society. However we respect nobody more than someone who "beats the system" (Bertie, capitalism is still viewed as "cute hoorism") and being a manifestation of having success within orthodox structures (going to TCD) smacks of reneging on the founding ideal of the state, and obviously that College has a British/AI heritage gives that festering resentment focus




Sorry, I just started writing there, don't even remember the thread title!

shay_562

+ Location
+ Beautiful campus
+ Really great clubs/societies (by comparison to what I've seen/heard in other colleges)
+ The GMB, much as it has a cliquey reputation, is one of my favourite "unique" things about campus.
+ The reputation

- Terrible sports facilities (coupled with DUCAC, who seem to despise anything that isn't rugby/football/cricket, or at a push GAA)
- Admin can be a bit dodgy.
- Some departments (*cough*French*cough*) seem to hate students as a whole, though to be fair I don't think this is TCD specific.
- People make assumptions about you, particularly when you do BESS.
- Fun being outlawed by the stereotypical Crusty Old Dean (where's a good Bra Bomb when you need one?)

kowloon

jmccrohan wrote: »

How so?

If you're only starting it's est not to make assumptions about the place, you might love the arts girls! On the other hand if you just mean going back to a course you've already begun then I retract my statement.

maninasia

- Sliding down the geology building stairs when pissed
- Having a laugh with your mates talking to your mates honkers down behind the toilet in the student rooms before <snip> drinking home brew made on campus
- Riding my bike about 50miles/hour thru hordes of tourists late as usual
- Not attending a single 9am start lesson in final year and nobody gives a sh$t, just pass your exams
- Knocking the heads off of UCD boxing club (and vice-versa) , then going on the piss with them all night and even putting each other up in our rooms after partying too hard
- Beers outside the PAV in summer sunshine
- Hanging around the GMB and joining every club/society on campus for free drinks
- Great pubs and clubs around it, real Dublin atmosphere


- Getting my bike nicked 3 times by knackers from Pearse St.
- Dealing with being a northsider, getting a bit of stick for it from inside/northside (got past that after a year or so)
- Lecturers not as impressive as other countries (good in Ireland though)
- Opaque exam marking systems (cry to your tutor and get another chance)


I went to DCU for a while and Trinity just has the atmosphere and history that is hard to beat....and I am a northsider. It's not any more cliquey than UCD and always had a lot of characters.

Boston

ApeXaviour wrote: »

Also for any smart alecs, I'm aware there are also numerous uninteresting doors some can exit via.

I've a magic key that lets me in and out via three secret doors around the college perimeter (I've only found two of them), and no I'm not taking the piss.

Jonathan

kowloon wrote: »

If you're only starting it's est not to make assumptions about the place, you might love the arts girls! On the other hand if you just mean going back to a course you've already begun then I retract my statement.

Retract that statement.

Starting in October means: going back to college to in October rather than mid september as is with most colleges.

I think it is kinda obvious from the rest of the points that ive been there before tho.

Randomness

Best / Worst Random Things........(well off the top o my head)

+ walking through front arch into college
+ the characters, traditions, old stuff, silly big words, cobbles & craic
+ having everything dublin city centre has to offer at your finger tips
+ the fact that when you get off public transport your right there
+ you could be sitting in front of the pav on a sunny day and the world could be ending outside the gates and you wouldn't realise

- ok obviously if the world was ending that would be bad....
- closing the gate across the road from the dart? why? - ok i know the official reason but it'd be so handy if it twas open
- trying to stand still in the long queue for a computer - there is only so many times you can read the posters on a wall
- outside the arts block rivals beijing for pollution levels (cig smoke)
- the toilets are a bit crap (haha crap. i just realised the pun. laugh laugh)


Best / Worst Official Type Things.......

+ International reputation
+ Wide range of courses
+ High standards
+ Clubs / Socities
+ Good environment / atmosphere for education

- Admin staff like to kill students with their evil looks
_ When people from outside Dublin ask you where you go to college and they either pause or think your a Protestant
- When people think your course (BESS) isn't even a real degree
- Generally departments / schools like to send you back and forth between each other before they finally decided to help you
- THE worst thing....the unwillingness of college to FULLY embrace this wonderful thing called technology and use it to make small changes which would make a BIG difference in the efficiency and effectiveness of daily college life and ultimately improve the college going forward (haha going forward) - also I wanted that guy ROB to win SU President a) because he was funny and b) because of "iCollege". - good reasons to vote for him, I know.

heyjude

Heffo wrote: »

Good:
- excellent lecturers (though depends on the course)

:eek::eek::eek: yes, it very definitely depends on the course

ZWEI_VIER_ZWEI

wesclark wrote: »

Irish people traditionally denegrate achievement if it is judged to be flashy or obnoxious (essentially a firm collective belief in the concept of hubris). The founding ideology of the state is that we were all meant to be happy in our nationhood of "comely maidens on hillsides", and there was limited desire to shake up the economic order to enrich ourselves until at least the 60s. We may have been a nation of socialists if it wasn't for the catholic church.

But modern mass media has created a new trend to seek to emulate the lives of wives of successful Dublin solicitors/footballers/entrepreneurs, and this is a coexisting aspect of how modern Irish people see society. However we respect nobody more than someone who "beats the system" (Bertie, capitalism is still viewed as "cute hoorism") and being a manifestation of having success within orthodox structures (going to TCD) smacks of reneging on the founding ideal of the state, and obviously that College has a British/AI heritage gives that festering resentment focus

Quoted for truth.

straight_As

Thanks for all the replies guys and gals.

From the sounds of it, TCD appears to be a great place, steeped in tradition.

However, its reluctance to update mechanisms (such as the admin), would seem to show a slightly backwards attitude on behalf of the TCD hierarchy.

But that, I suppose, is a very subjective opinion. Some may see it as a good thing?

Thanks again for the responses.

Admin is better then in UCD from what I am hearing.

Flamed Diving

I have been in touch with the admin in the Economics department loads of times and I have found them most helpful.

Time Magazine

Deleted User wrote: »

Admin is better then in UCD from what I am hearing.

UCD admin forgot to tell me I had to send more stuff into them. And when I called they also told me that it'd be fine, the offers would be sent out in time.

I had to bypass them and go straight to a lecturer to get it sorted.

Fuckwits.

Jimdw

Heffo wrote: »

Good:
- ...
- a surprisingly fantastic international reputation
...

Not the highest, 58th place in Europe. Cambridge in England is 2nd in the World. Still it's not bad for Trinity.

Économiste Monétaire

53rd in the world, actually. Credit where credit is due - it's impressive that an Irish University, scraping by with funding, is that high. I don't know where you got 58th in Europe.

Podge_irl

Its 53rd in the world in the Times rankings, its significantly lower in the Shanghai rankings. Anyway, these rankings are all quite subjective and a bit useless.

The Times one is quite good for a general, undergrad based approach.

Jimdw

UCD_Econ wrote: »

53rd in the world, actually. Credit where credit is due - it's impressive that an Irish University, scraping by with funding, is that high. I don't know where you got 58th in Europe.

It's 53rd in the world. Pardon me.